Last month, Harrington decided to step down from the panel that oversees Utah's 10-campus system of higher education, citing the demands of guiding the state's Office of Education.

"I have been unable to attend many Regent meetings, due to my own job responsibilities, and feel I am less than what I should be in regard to that commitment," she wrote the governor in a July 9 letter, asking to be replaced as soon "it can reasonably occur."

Harrington has been saddled with new leadership responsibilities at Huntsman's request, with assignments to the Governor's 21st Century Workforce Initiative and Blue Ribbon Panel on Assessment. But her letter stressed a desire to continue serving higher education by helping integrate the two halves of the state's educational grid.

"I remain firmly committed to providing sound transitions and increased rigor for our students as they move from public education into higher education," she wrote. "I will continue to be very active in the K-16 Alliance where much of the substance of aligning the two systems occurs."

Her replacement, who is president and chief executive of Management & Training Corp., is chairman of the National Advisory Board of the University of Utah's David Eccles School of Business and was a trustee for Weber State University. Scott Marquardt studied at the U., where he earned his bachelor's, law degree and master's in business administration.

“Scott brings great expertise and experience to the Board of Regents,” Huntsman said. “He has displayed outstanding dedication to our students and to the educational process.”